The Life of a SUPREME Diva
by ALIaS6829
Summary: Created in conjunction with my good pal FanFictFunGrl215 and her story, The Life of a Diva, these stories take place during her stories, just from the side of The Supreme Diva, aka Meg Gratton. To get the full effect, please refer to her story. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 4.5 - Friday Night's Alright for Fighting...

by Alias6829 in conjunction with FanFictFunGrl215

"What does that girl think she's doing?"

From the safety and comfort of their hotel suite bed, Triple H and his soon to be wife, The Supreme Diva, watched in amazement as Dee and Smackdown's own General Manager rolled around on the outside of the ring. Although she couldn't see it from the angle she was at, snuggled into his side, she could tell that her fiance was smirking. None of her friend's actions came as much of a shock to her, quite the opposite, actually; Dee has yet to learn the fine art of looking before you leap. Neither girl has changed much since meeting over eight years ago in high school, both fueled by the same desire to be the best female to ever grace the squared circle. Dee was always running head-first into trouble, mouthing off to whomever she felt like it, defiant 'till the very end. Her partner in crime, however, was quick with a crack and a joke for every occasion but with a heart of gold. That last bit, however, didn't stop nearly everything that came out of her mouth to be drenched in sarcasm. At some points you couldn't have two completely different girls, yet for some reason, they clicked. The ying to the others yang.

"She's YOUR friend."

Althrough this statement was made in jest, it was true none-the-less. More than true, actually. Closer than close, better than sisters, the girls had been through it all together and now their dreams were coming true. This was especially true for the one the wrestling fans had come to know and love as The Supreme Diva. With the WWE's Diva's Championship title around her waist and an engagement ring of white gold around her finger from the Cerebral Assassin himself, life was going absolutely perfect for the little girl from Philadelphia.

With a sigh, she grabbed for her phone on the nearby nightstand. "That girl...she reallyh needs to learn to stay away from bad boys. They've always been her weakness." Next to her, The Game shook his head mockingly as the woman he loved's finger dialed the all too familiar number. After a few rings, it went to voice mail.

"Jeezy-creezy woman! I thought you were joking when you said you were helping him. Now we're going to have to deal with the blubber troll! CALL ME!"

Mumbling, she dropped the phone back on the nightstand and flopped herself down with her back to her fiance. Her shoulder-length red hair made its way across her face, obstructing her view as Hunter wrapped his arms around her and moved her towards his warm body. Within moments his lips found their way to the back of her neck, making her shutter as they made their way down her shoulder, stopping at the neckline of her shirt. She turned and met his lips with her own.

"You can't be her mother, Meg...she's a big girl now. She'll figure things out."

"You don't get it, she's stubborn as they come and as hilarious as it is to watch Vicki flop around like the skanky swine that she is, Dee is playing a very dangerous game."

He silenced her concerns with a passionate kiss. "You are so cute when you pretend to be serious."

"Thanks?"

He kissed her forehead. "Not to change the subject, but when exactly am I going to meet this elusive mother of yours? She keeps turning down my offers for Raw tickets and backstage passes and I'm starting to feel like I'm not meeting the standards she set for her only child-"

"It's... complicated."

"Is she embarrassed by what we do?"

She bit her lip in the cute way that she knew drives him nuts. "It's a long story. Something I can't exactly get into."

He pulled away from her. "Why do you keep hiding who you are from me? You can tell me anything, you know it. If you can't trust me, then why are we ge-" He stopped and composed himself after seeing the growing hurt in her blue-green eyes. "Listen, I'm sorry to pry into your business. But if we are ever going to get married, you've got to learn to trust each other."

She nodded slightly, then buried her head into his chest. "I trust you...it's just-"

He sighed. "I know, it's complicated."

With a quick kiss to the top of her crimson hair, he settled himself in for a much needed night's sleep. Of course, after the little quarrel he had with the woman of his dreams, sleep was the last thing on his mind. While this relationship was a walk in the park compared to the anguish that came from being married to the infamous Stephanie McMahon, it was moments like these that make Megan Elizabeth Gratton a handful. Yet, it was one of the many attributes that attracted her to him the moment he laid his eyes on her. The girls had barely been with the company two months when their lives crossed paths backstage at a house show. He was just getting back from injury and re-getting acquainted with life on the road when he noticed those sparkling blue eyes staring at him from across the hall. She was barely twenty-two at the time and almost half his age, but that didn't stop him from approaching the Diva in the making. She matched him joke for joke and never seemed to stop smiling; she was unlike any other woman he usually found himself falling for. After his divorce from the McMahon family was finalized, he didn't think he would find another woman he would want to spend the rest of his life with, yet there she was, sound asleep in his arms. His tomboyish little Diva. All he had to do was get past her tight-lip policy on her family ties...


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I just want to make sure that people who are reading this are also reading FanFictFunGrl215's story, The Life of a Diva, or none of this will make any sense. I also forgot to put this on my last one, I own nothing but a laptop (abit, a crappy one), sporadic free time punctuated by screaming children, and a lifetime love of wrestling storylines. I'd also like to add that the character of The Supreme Diva means a lot to me, I used her as my mainstay E-Fed character since I was sixteen or seventeen years old and she has undergone a complete over-haul just for this story. Reviews would be much obliged. Enjoy.

Chapter 5.5: There's No Greater Power than the Power of Goodbye...or GMs.

*This takes place after Dee said her goodbyes and Triple H. vs. CM Punk.

All she could do was watch as her best friend, the closest thing she had to family in the WWE walked out the door with her bag slung over her shoulder. There had to be something she could do, what was the point in being a champion if not to help out those you love? She jumped to her feet and started pacing the floor in the same matter usually reserved for the more firey Dee.

"So this is it? They are just going to let her go because she punched that Oompa friggin' Loompa? They can't do that, can they?"

Triple H could barely stand to see the hurt in those perfect eyes. His massive arms dwarfed her slender frame as he took her into his body. With a quick kiss to the top of her red hair, he comforted his love. He knew better than most they politics that played out in the back. In the few short years Dee had been in this company, she wasn't exactly know for playing by the rules, but set out to break them instead. She did what she want, when she wanted, and didn't really care who had a problem with it. Somehow she was always able to come out unscathed, thanks to the quick work of her other half, the Diva with a Mouth herself, Meg Gratton. He never quite understood how or when her magic was woven, only that once she got it into her head that Dee needed to be let off the hook, she would go right to the people in charge and Dee was right back to her ol' tricks. Another one of the mysteries of the one Megan Elizabeth Gratton. One day he would learn her inner workings.

"You didn't see this coming? We both knew she wasn't going to apologize."

"This is bullshit. She could've sucked it up, just faked an 'I'm sorry' and headed back here. We got into this together, how could she just leave me?"

This was a side of her he hadn't seen. Gone was the smile that never seemed to fade, replaced now with a snarl of pure anger. He couldn't say that he liked this other side, but he could barely blame her. While he loved the fact that she had the brass balls to stick to her guns with everything she had worked her whole life for on the line, he knew how much she meant to Meg. Growing up, home life wasn't exactly ideal environments for either girl and they turned to each other for the support they needed to even get into a business like this. Now her family was gone from her, at least for now, so he just hoped she would know enough to turn to him in her time of need.

"Look, you know she'll be back. They can't keep one of their top female wrestlers away from their flagship show, it's suicide. Now you come here and calm down."

She turned and faced him, finding herself lost in his big brown eyes. No matter how hard she tried to stay mad at her friend for seemingly abandoning her because of her own selfish need to always have the last word, she couldn't look at him and keep that same feeling of rage inside her. With a girlish squeal, she leaped high into the air and collapsed onto his exposed lap. He attempted to mock pain, but it quickly turned to real pain as she shifted her body into a comfortable position and kissed his cheek.

" "You know just how to make a gal smile. Thanks, Helmsley."

"Anytime, lady. Just get off of me!" In no time at all, the two were rolling around the couch in a playful wrestling match. "That belt is mine, Diva."

"While you may just be the cutest little champion this side of Harvina, it aint happening anytime soon. I'll show you how they do things in Philly!"

Before long, the couch was in shambles, as was the rest of their locker room. In the end, Triple H had managed to pin his future wife twice before losing his cool to her over-all charms and walked away a loser. By the end, the two were mixing bursts of laughter with huffing and puffing.

"Man, I need to find a WaWa in this town and get my hands on a bottle of Green Tea before I lose my shit."

He shook his head. "What is it with you girls and your WaWa? It's not that great-"

"Oh no, Helmsely. Them's fighting words!" She raised a fist in mock protest. "On that note, I am going to see a man about a drink. Care to join me?"

He scanned the carnage that was their room. "I think one of us had better get this place back together. Meet me outside in twenty?"

"Not a problem. Love you!"

"Right back at you, kiddo."

She made a face at the nickname and bounced out the door, quickly putting her headphones in her ears and blasting the first thing on her playlist, "No Exit" by Blondie. Her absolute obsession for the band didn't go unnoticed; she had named her trademark submission move after this very song, plus she was known to enter the ring wearing a few of her old Blondie t-shirts. Noticing she was alone for the moment, she found herself singing along to her favorite song and forgetting exactly why she had even left her room in the first place.

"There's no sin in this

Getting Dressed to Kill

Laughing down the sun like a jackal will

With his eyes ablaze and his lips apart

He's gonna fill his cup with the love in your heart

And drink it up till the morning starts

Circulate the red light vistas

Get the girls and get their sisters

Pinch'em up and give'em blisters

Kiss'em fierce with all his might, forever..."

As she began the next line of lyrics, she felt a tap on the shoulder that nearly sent her flying out of her skin. Blushing, she turned and found herself standing face to face with the leader of NEXUS himself, CM Punk. While their paths had not exactly been known to cross paths, there was no love lost between them. They had gone at it a few times in mixed-tag matches in the past, but nothing you could right home to mother about had came from them. However, it still wasn't exactly what she had wanted to get up to while she was on her search for some good Green Tea.

"Rocking out to some Benatar, I see."

If looks could kill... "While Benatar is high up there on my list of the best female artists of all time, this is obviously the work of the greatest band of all time. Blondie."

The smirk that crept across his face sent shivers down her spine. "My apologizes to the great Debbie Harry. I might just need you to make me a copy of one of their albums so I can atone for this heinous musical crime."

Confused and showing so on her face, she responded with a quick, "O..k... Later, Mr. Punk. I've got to see a man about a tea,"

He arm flew up and caught her just as she turned to walk away. "Oh, but I was enjoying our musical conversation. Care to continue it?"

"Not really. I'm stressed and about to kick a puppy just to get my hands on the closest WaWa."

Once again, she turned her back on him and started to walk away. Just as she began to fidget with her ear buds, she heard what was nearly a whisper behind her.

"I'm sure Daddy could by you your own lifetime supply of what piss you drink, Miss Gratton."

Her eyes lit up and she spun around. "Look, I don't know where you get off bringing up shit you know nothing about, but my father is dead. I never even knew the man, so I'd like it very much if you don't bring him up."

The smirk returned to his face. "Oh, is that what you've been telling your precious little boytoy and bimbo best friend? Do you really need the sympathy that comes with being a fatherless child?"

"You know nothing about me, jerkass. So just go back to your little merry band of jobbers and leave me be."

"Oh, but I DO know, Meggie." The tone in his voice haunted her, as did being called 'Meggie'. "Your little friend should have just kept her hands to herself, or this could have all been kept in the dark. It wasn't like it was her place to be."

Her eyes grew wide, realizing exactly what his angle was. "You're blackmailing me, aren't you? Why...It's not like I've got anything you want!" She slowly began to back up, until she noticed too late that there was nothing but cold, hard concrete keeping her from running away. "If you wanted a shot against my title, all you had to do was ask!"

"Oh, Meggie, your wit is just too much." He arm hit the wall just a few inches from her head, pinning her against it. "You know exactly what I want..."

"Me? Ha! I don't know if you've noticed the rock on my finger and the big man that put it there. If Hunter even had an inkling as to what you were up to, he would give you a repeat of that ass whooping he gave you tonight."

He raised his hand to strike her, then caught himself and slammed his other hand next to her. She was trapped. "Do you really think he'll want you once he realizes who he's been getting into bed with?" He leaned in so close that his lips were nearly touching her ear. In it his whispered something only she could hear. Her face went pale, her body trembled.

"No...it isn't what you think! I didn't even know until I got here...My mother lied, told me he was dead. Please, Punk..." Her eyes filled with tears. "I'll do anything-"

A fire danced in his eyes as he once again lowered her face right up against hers. "Anything..."

He grabbed her by the back of her head and forced a kiss on her, one that she fought tooth and nail to get away from him. Once he pulled away from her, a quick fist connected with his chin, causing him to lose it. Before she knew it, she was slammed up against the wall and her body slid down to the ground. Her body retched as she attempted to purge the taste of him out of her mouth.

"You bastard!" Her face as crimson as her hair. "I'll kill you!"

"Temper, temper." He raised his leg back and connected with her stomach, sending her into desperate hysterics. "Must be a family trait."

"I...I...nothing...like them." She spit out as her body rithered in pain.

"Oh, but you are, Meggie. The blood that flows through you can not be ignored. Just look at your soon to be ex-fiance..."

"Hunter..." She attempted to scream for him, but could barely whimper it out.

"Join me. Join us and you no one will ever have to know your dirty little secret."

As if on cue, the remaining members of New Nexus surrounded her, waiting for her answer.

"I...can't..."

"Oh, but you don't have a choice..."

She could barely put up a fight as Husky Harris scooped her up and tossed her over his shoulder...


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 5 and three quarters: Love is a Battlefield...and she had the scars to prove it.

It was hard for her to make up a good enough lie as to why it took her nearly two hours to walk five blocks and back, yet even harder to hide the mark on the side of her head and boot-shaped bruises across her stomach. She nearly let out a scream as her fiance pulled her in for a relieved hug. Luckily for her, she was good at hiding things.

How did things get this far? Her mother tried to warn her that following her dreams of being a professional wrestler in the WWE would end just like this. Worst still, CM Punk had sort-of been right - had Dee only sucked up her pride and apologized, her past would still be exactly that. But that wasn't exactly fair, it wasn't like Dee knew this was coming. It wasn't like she could have had advance knowledge on the inner workings of that Jersey Shore cast-out. Besides, why exactly would Vickie hold onto information of this magnitude? That question would have to wait for now. What was important was stopping the flow of information for the time being.

For now, though, it would have to wait. The love of her life had drawn her a bath and she figured she might as well enjoy it. Tomorrow she would be forced to break his heart...

A usually loving jester in the form of a simple arm flung around her body in the middle of the night made Meg leap out of sleep in over-whelming pain. As she grasped her stomach and gasped for air, Hunter smiled in his sleep, known the wiser of what he had accidently done. That man had the uncanny ability to sleep through anything, be it a hurricane or his whimpering fiance. Tears streamed down her slightly rosy cheeks for the first time, her body finally allowing her to come to terms to what she had been through that night. Being as though it was nearing five in the morning, there was no time like the present to reflect on what she had given up in order to keep the people closest to her in the dark.

"Wake up, daddy's girl!"

It took a minute for her surroundings to make sense and within moments she realized she was in the Nexus's dressing room. Husky Harris had nicely plopped her down on their leather couch with her head gently placed on CM's lap. As she struggled to get free, the remaining members of the group advanced towards her, making her recoil in fear and pain. CM raised his hand, stopping the charge.

"Be nice, Meggie. All we want to do is talk."

"Then let me out before they have to piece together your balls with super glue!" He quickly lifted his hands, let her sit up. "Now, what is it you want from me? Why not pin this shit on the sperm-donor himself?"

"Because that would be career suicide and you know it." He let out a sigh and raised his arms like he was a love-sick teenage boy and rested his right arm on her shoulders. Disgusted, she pulled right away.

"But why even have me join? It just doesn't make sense. What do you want me to do, run in and attack Shamus? 'Cause having a girl fighting your battles for you isn't exactly going to win you guys any respect." She cracked a smile. "On second thought, count me in. That sounds like fun!"

"Can the jokes, lady!" This came from Otunga.

She put her finger to her lips and shushed herself. "Sorry, defense mechanism." Her finger slowly came down and formed a fist, which connected with lil' Otunga. "Sorry, also a defense mechanism."

As Otunga let out a girlish squeal and dropped to his knees, the rest of New Nexus ran at her as she sat and laughed. Once again, CM had to calm his men down. "Boys, boys. Don't you lay a finger on the little princess. After all, her daddy will be upset if we touch a hair on her head."

She scoffed. "You are really over-thinking this, you ass. He hasn't done shit for me in twenty-six years, what makes you think he will start now?"

"Because he's just as willing to do anything to keep his dirty little secret in the dark as you do." Her face dropped and turned away. "Aw...did I hit a nerve? It would seem that your own father wanted your whore of a mother to abort the very thought of you away. Even paid her good money to do so. It's all in the files Vickie gave me." The men, with the exception of Otunga, snickered. "Maybe it was easier when you thought your daddy was dead, instead of someone who couldn't even stand the sight of you." Tears streamed down her face. "Pathetic. Now your with a man nearly double your age, a father figure that you use to fill the void in your heart. Run back to him, you little bastard. For tomorrow, your whole world comes crashing down."

His words haunted her, clinging to him just as his taste was doing in her mouth. She felt violated and disgusted with herself. Why did his words leave such an impact on her? Was it all true...did he really want her aborted? It would make sense, having her live was bad for business.

Why did this have to happen? Despite his absence, she lived a great life. Sure, her mother was stuck working two to three jobs at a time to make ends meet, but she never had to want for anything. As graduation loomed ahead of her, Mom picked up extra hours just to afford the baby blue '77 Chevy Nova that she still uses to this day. When Dee needed a place to say after her own mother disowned her for her choice of a future career, it had been Delinda Gratton that opened her heart and home to the wayward teen. To know that her own father treated her saint of a mother with such disrespect made her so angry she could feel her who body shake.

It was that shaking the awoken the sleeping bear.

"Come back to bed." This time he noticed her wince as he pulled her close to him. "What's wrong?"

"Oh...uh...didn't I tell you? While I was out running I feel into a fence. I'm such an friggin' klutz sometimes." She kissed his arm. "You can't trust me to do anything."

"Are you sure you're ok? You seem funny."

"I must've hit it harder than I thought. It's ok, though. Nothing I can't handle. Just go back to bed."

He didn't have to be told twice, because within seconds the room echoed with the sounds of his snores. Funnily enough, it was that familiar noise that lullabied her to sleep. Now she just wanted to breathe it in just once last time...


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Please review this story and tell me how I am doing. It would mean a lot to me, even if you think it sucks. Also, if the numbers of my chapters are throwing you off, it's because they are where they should be in accordence with the main story, located once again under FanFictFunGrl215.

Chapter 6.5: Sometimes, Meatloaf is right...

As Meg watched her friend walk towards the car, she found herself muttering to herself. "You're not the only one with a surprise..."

She sighed to herself as she paid for her drinks and made her way towards her car, but not before signing a few autographs for the fans the recognized her out of her usual in-ring attire. Ha, who was she kidding? There really wasn't much of a difference between the two. She always loved running into fans on the street, after all, it wasn't too long ago that she was one of them. Just a few years ago herself and Dee would stand outside of the now dubbed Wells Fargo Center, no matter the weather, and attempt to get anyone to sign their autograph books. She laughed to herself as she remember their homemade signs and wild outfits, anything to stand out of the crowd. Even funnier was the fact that she actually got an autograph from one Triple H from a time when he was still married to his ex-wife, Stephanie McMahon. It was her most prized possession and something she still had framed on her bedroom wall back home in Phillly.

And to think she was going to be forced into shattering his heart into a million pieces.

Why was she even doing this? Why not just let them expose the truth? Did it really even matter anymore? Then she thought of Hunter and how he would take it. She had to face the facts, either way, she would probably lose him. She always thought that he was too good for her, that she was in way over her head. That's why she didn't force a wedding date and with the except of their little Bride/Maid of Honor meeting that had just ended, she hadn't even really put much thought into it. Unlike most of the girls she knew growing up, Dee being the only other exception, she never played 'bride' and didn't really make any plans for her future wedding. Maybe it had to do with the fact that she was pretty much a guy with boobs growing up, or maybe it was deeper. She knew she would never have her real father there to walk her down the aisle, so she just put the idea out of her mind. That's why it hit her from left field when Dee asked her about it. Like she could really convince her mother's new boyfriend to walk her down the aisle at her wedding when they had never even met. She knew her best friend well enough to know that she saw right through her lies. Lies were all she knew anymore. Damn you, father. This is the legacy you have forsaken on me.

Once inside the safety of her '77 Chevy Nova, she allowed her mind to really wander. What was this mysterious surprise Dee had in story for her? She usually wasn't one for surprises, her big mouth usually gave it away before the punchline came. It was one of the many things she loved about Dee. Had she somehow discovered the truth? Would she never speak to her again? Oh how she longed for one big do-over.

Before she had a chance to really get into her thoughts, she felt a slight vibration from her jeans pocket. Hunter. As a joke, she had set his ringtone as "If This Is The Last Kiss" by Meatloaf. As always, her musical selections in life seemed to foreshadow events to come. She hesitated, but just for a second, then answered the phone.

"Meg's Extreme Taxidermy, you hit it, we stuff it. How many I service you?"

"Well, that depends on the amount of service you are willing to grant?"

"Well, it is a full-service job. Let me see if I can pencil you in." She faked a laugh, which didn't go unnoticed.

"Still sore?"

"Very." At least that wasn't a lie. The imprint of CM Punk's boot looked like it would never go away. She was actually starting to wonder if he did any damage. "I can't be trusted to walk a few blocks, can I?"

His laugh nearly broke her heart. "I've always said we need to have you bubble-wrapped. Are you and Dee having fun?"

"Actually, she left with John. But she did say she had something planned for Raw, I'm just not sure what."

"Knowing her, it's going to be big."

Another faked laugh. "Epic, even."

"If you aren't completely full, we could hit up a little room service back here at the hotel. Afterwards, we can see what you meant by full-service..."

Her heart fluttered, but only for a second. She had to remember the task at hand. Why did CM Punk want her so bad? It wasn't like she was the flashiest diva. She was nowhere near as pretty as the likes of the Bella Twins or Dee, she always struck herself as being completely average, with the exception of her hair. It was even a shock to her that the fans dug her as much as they did, but maybe it was her way with words. She always thought Hunter was crazy for wanting her, especially after being married for so long to someone as breathtakingly beautiful as Stephanie McMahon. Maybe some people really do dig personality over looks. At least with her best friend, you got both.

"Earth to Gratton. Come in, Gratton."

His voice snapped her back to earth. "Sorry, I was spacing."

"I've noticed...are you sure you're ok? Ever since your walk, you've been acting a bit off."

She stifled a sigh. "I know, I'm sorry. I've got a lot of crap on my mind. My best friend was just fired, I've got all of these bitches climbing to get my belt, not to mention planning this wedding...I just need some time to get my head together."

"I'm sorry, sweetheart. If you need me to do anything for this wedding, just ask. Hell, I didn't exactly get to have a real wedding the first time around, it might be nice to actually watch my future wife walk down the aisle, instead of having her slumped over the passenger's seat of my rental car."

"I don't know, men usually can't be trusted doing these sorts of things..."

"Ok, Bridezilla!" He said in mock anger. "I see how it is. But can I ask you something?"

"Anything."

"When am I going to meet your family? You've already met mine five times over. My parents love you, my sister loves you, I just want the chance to have your mother feel the same way about me."

"You've already met mine!: She wanted to scream into the phone, but she kept her cool. "You know what, after this week, we'll take a break and fly up to Philly. You can meet my mom and I'll show you the sights."

"Is there a Liberty Bell trip in my future?"

"Fuck no! We're going to hit all the fun places."

He laughed. "Fun places? Philly? I didn't think those things go hand in hand."

"Ha, friggin' ha! Maybe we can find that pub they use in 'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia'?"

"Maybe. Ok, I'll let you get back to your head. Just make sure you're careful, ok? I love you."

"Love you too. Always remember that, ok?"

"O...k... bye."

"TTFN!"

She tossed the phone in the seat next to her and the tears found their way down her cheeks and off of her chin, hitting her Flyers T-Shirt. This was all she ever wanted, a man that got her. Not just loved her, but actually got her. Not many people did. She was a bit on the strange side, she knew it. He loved everything about her, even her comic book nerdness and taste in horrible movies and music. And she felt just the same way about him, he was her whole world. So why was she really throwing this all away? Because CM Punk knows the truth? If he loved her like he said he did, he would look past...well...past. But she was the very thing he was trying to get away from. Being with Stephanie nearly broke him, not to mention the shit she pulled with her "pregnancy". Now she's doing nearly the same thing to him. He deserved better than her. It's better if this relationship didn't go on much longer anyway. She was damaged goods. Always has been, always will be.

Daddy made damn sure of that.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 6 3/4: The Show Must Go On….

She knew what loomed ahead, like she was following the script to a horrible movie she's seen twice before. Even the M. Night twist was there and she silently wished she could blame all of this on plants. Or ghost shrinks. Or…water? Was that the twist in Signs? Oh well, the point was, it was all out of her hands. At least what she did leading up to the finale was still in her control and she planned on spending it the way she wanted…blaming herself for all of the world's problems. At least it was something she knew she was good at.

She thought severing all ties would be easy, that she had at least inherited that much from daddy dearest. Of course, like everything else wrong in her life, it would be way too easy for her. Instead, she could lie her preverbal ass off, manipulate everyone into thinking she was a half-way decent human being, and move on from all of this like nothing had happened. Of course, that last part wasn't true, while Meg Gratton talked a huge game, she was just a scared little girl, completely lost in a world of grown men and their lies.

She wished she could be like Dee: brave, confidant, with a bigger pair than half the men in this industry. Instead she was an actress, a mirage of the person she once was. Everything she worked so hard for was crashing around her, like stars falling from a burning sky. However, her face bore no sign of collapsing, her face never once flaking. She was merely a tool, a tool used by the men in her life…her father, past boyfriends, and now CM Punk and his menagerie of jerk wads.

Except Hunter…

He saw her flaws and embraced them. Instead of running away from a girl like her, she put a ring on her finger after three years of flirting and four dates. Now she lay next to him the night before Raw, cherishing every snore, every body spasm, knowing they would most likely be the last she'd ever have of them. Despite her desire to cut all ties and save herself the heartache, she had made the decision to enjoy her last few days with her love. Their days were filled with taking work-outs and lunches; nights spent watching bad movies and discovering new ways to make the other scream. Notch! In spite of everything stacked against her, these days were the best of her life. If only she could make them last…

"Penny for your thoughts?" Hunter's voice nearly made her jump out her skin. "Been up for long?"

Outside of their hotel suite, dawn was breaking, sending the light of a new day streaming through the curtains. The light was nothing but a reminder of how her time with him was slowly running out. Why couldn't this all be nothing more than a terrible dream?

"A little," she fibbed. "Sorry to wake you. Go on back to bed; you've got a big match tonight." She nearly choked on her own words. "You and Punk again, huh?"

He snickered. "Some match. I dismantled him last week, so the McMahons seem to think that putting him in another match with me will change the outcome. Oh well, anytime I get to rip apart Brooks in the ring is time well spent." He pulled her towards him and began kissing her neck, sending waves of pleasure down her spine. "However, THIS is time well spent, too."

Part of her wanted to run away, leaving no trace what so ever. She could hop a plane back to Philly and pretend she never existed in the WWE. The other part of her never wanted to leave his arms, never wanted to learn what her neck felt like with his lips far from it. She fell for him once again, the same way she always fell for his charms. How Stephanie McMahon could have ever let him out of her life was beyond her, but she was ever so glad she did. Even if she was forced into breaking his heart, she at least got to know what it was like to be the center of his world, even if it was only for a short time.

For the last time, they made love. For the last time, she cried out his name…his REAL name…in ecstasy. For the last time, she felt the warmth of his body as it shuttered on top of her. For the last time, she knew what true love was…

Before she knew it, they were on their way to Raw and her heart was slowly sinking to her feet. She felt like she was being lead to the gallows, ready to be hung for her crime of betrayal. She was taking the cowards way out, she knew it, but if she didn't do this, her career was a good as over. Most likely Dee would be banished as well. She justified everything she was doing as being for the good of her future, but at the end of the day, she could care less about her belt. What good was holding the Diva's Champion when she couldn't look at herself in the mirror? It wasn't like she would still be the kind of woman the young female wrestling fans could look up to. But at least she got to wrestle still, and maybe that was all that mattered. God, she hoped so, or this would all be for nothing.

Within minutes of entering their locker room, she heard the all-too familiar jingle of her cellphone signaling a text message. Just as Tony Stark/Iron Man finished saying "Let's face it, this isn't the worst thing you've caught me doing!" she read Dee's text aloud to her fiancé.

"Get ready to see me tonight." She made a face. "What does THAT mean?"

"She's your-"

"Don't even finish that!" She said with a laugh. Once again, it was a fake one, but he didn't call her out on it. "Mind if I go for a walk before we gear up? I want to clear my head before I face Natalya."

He took her bags and quickly kissed her on the forehead. "Have fun, kiddo. Love you."

Those words killed her. "Love you too. See you in a bit."

She had to get out of there, both because it was her usual ritual before a title match and because she could stare into the brown eyes, knowing what was to come. Within moments she had her headphones in and she was in pre-match mode. Of course, as it is usually her luck, the first song to ring in her ears as she began her jog was Weezer's hit from a few years ago, "Perfect Situation." As always, another wonderful musical selection brought to her by her suicidal IPod. The beginning of the song seemed to stick with her as she jogged, nearly bringing her to tears.

She had to face it, she was the zero. She justified everything she was doing as a hand she was forced to play, but was that really true? She was never one that would let anyone force her into anything. So why was she starting now? And how could she let herself become such a selfish, manipulative bitch? What was she becoming? Ever since CM Punk learned her secret, she had found herself becoming more and more like the family that had didn't know of her existence. It was like he drug out this other side of her, one she wasn't completely sure she liked. As a matter of fact, she loathed this side of her. It wasn't her, far from it. So why was it there?

As her music changed tracks, she found herself half way around the backstage area…and right in front of the leader of The Nexus, a smile plastered from ear to ear. It chilled her to her very bone.

"What do you want?" His smile got bigger, reminding her of Patrick Bateman. It scared her, it really did. She knew she had made a deal with the devil, and his grin confirmed this. "You can't even give me a few more minutes to be The Supreme Diva, instead of your little puppet?"

"Oh, Megan my dear, your lips are still as venomous as always," He leaned in so close that she could actually hear his gum rattling around in his mouth. "Come tonight, you'll change your tune."

"I will never be with you, Brooks. Get that through your thick skull." She turned her head, but he grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him. "Do what you want…after what I am about to do, I could care less what happens to me."

"But I do care, Megan. I care a lot. Why do you think I went through all this trouble?"

She pulled away from him. "You are psychotic! There is something seriously wrong with you. I was happy, Brooks. After all these years of faking it, I was truly happy. I've got the Diva's Championship around my waist, my best friend by my side doing what she loves, and best of all, I have a ring around my finger that was given to me by the man I love more than life itself. Everything was going swimmingly, until-"

"Until Dee went and ruined it all for you. All she had to do was keep her hands to herself, but she couldn't do that. Not after Randy got his claws into her. She was even given a second chance: suck it up and say she was sorry. She couldn't even do that right. And once again, you had to be the one to suffer because of her actions. Is that what a true friend does?" By the look on her face, CM Punk knew he had her. Hook, line, and sinker. "And don't even get me started on that boy toy of yours."

"Hunter has been nothing but a gentleman to me. He puts up with my bullshit more than anyone else!"

"Will he be so willing to do so if he knew the truth?" Her face dropped again. "He already had to deal with this during his first marriage and we all saw how that ended. He's said it to you over and over and over again…he wants nothing to do with anyone with McMahon blood flowing through their veins. Where exactly does that leave you?"

"I don't care…I won't do it. He loves me."

"Does he? That's cute…it really is. And do you love him?"

"Damn skippy."

"Then why hasn't he met mommy dearest?"

That question hit her hard. "I…I…"

"Don't worry…I'll leave you be…for now."

His words paralyzed her, leaving her speechless. Not exactly an easy feet. However, it was not to last. Despite everything, she still had a belt to defend. Natalya, get ready, 'cause the Diva is angry…and much like the Hulk, you wouldn't like her when she's angry…


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: This would have been a longer chapter, but I had a death in the family and that monopolized my time this week. And if someone besides fanfictfungrl215 would review this, it would be nice. Just saying…

Chapter 7: Running with the Devil

"TIME TO PLAY THE GAME!"

As his theme music boomed across the arena, sending the fans jumping to their feet, Meg's mind began to race. With her Diva's Championship belt resting on her left shoulder, she followed closely behind her man, letting him do his thing and settling into her role as his ever-present manager. Once again, she thought about leaving, running away from her problems like an insolent child. Instead, she smiled as if her world wasn't ending; pointing to the man whose heart she would be breaking as he did his water-spitting thing. Oh, how that usually turned her on…now, nothing. Her mind was elsewhere and pretty much stayed there for most of the match. She remembered CM Punk entering the ring, glaring her down the whole way down, but she put it out of her mind. She had a job to do and as much as it pained her, she would do it.

As the match unfolded in front of her, her eyes drifted to the fans cheering from the sidelines. Fans that loved her, fans that held signs with her name on them, she could barely believe she was going to be letting them down. Just a few years ago, they were two of those fans, holding up signs, cheering on their favorites. She needed her best friend now, more than ever. She needed her to smack some confidence into her; it was what she was best at. That's if she had a best friend after tonight.

Almost as if on cue, she began to take notice of a figure in the crowd. Usually, fans wanted to be noticed, to see themselves on TV, but this one was trying hard not to be noticed, which only made Meg follow her actions more. Decked out from head to toe in Randy Orton Viper gear, complete with a Viper hoodie, she (Meg could tell the fan was female) looked a bit deranged as she keep her identity a secret by hiding under the hood of her jacket and held the metal folding chair she had once been sitting on. Then, as the match began to hit its boiling point, the fan jumped the barricade, chair in hand and stood between herself and Punk in the ring. As she rose the chair high, she spoke.

"You've left me no choice, Punk. I've signed a deal with the devil!"

The girl glanced at Meg, who could only watch in horror as the girl muttered something to herself and swung the chair, connecting with Punk and dropping him to the ground. She raised her hand to her chest, making half a heart before removing her hood and shocking the crowd around her. The crowd went insane as the deranged fan was shown to be none-other than Dee herself, something Meg could already tell by the attitude and clothing, not to mention the half a heart she made before revealing herself. It was the symbol of their friendship, something they had done since their early high school days. For a moment, she excited, since it brought the longest time the girls had been separated in 7 years to an end. Then she remembered what was supposed to happen tonight and silently cursed her friend for becoming involved in her business.

Before Meg had a chance to respond to her friend's attempt to communicate, The Nexus, sans Mason Ryan, made their way towards the ring, prompting Dee to drop the chair and high-tail it out of there. This left Meg alone to look on in horror, the members of Nexus made quick work of Hunter. To his credit, he went down fighting before the team all but dog-piled on him. CM Punk slowly got to his feet and turned his head towards the Diva's Champion, once again his Bateman-like smile making her body quake in fear. A hush fell over the crowd as he made his way towards her.

"Dee knows your secret, Megan. And soon, everyone else will." His smile never left his face. "We know your secret and we will never leave you for it. We won't abandon you."

Her eyes lit up as the members of Nexus held up the head of a barely conscious Triple H and at that moment, she knew what she had to do. As much as her heart and body revolted against it, her mind was made up. The crowd went insane with boos and taunts as she wrapped her arms around the man that made her want to do nothing but retch. For a second, she caught a glimpse of Hunter, his eyes screaming at her to not let this be true. She quickly averted her eyes from his gaze; it was all she could do to keep from tearing up. Crying was no longer an option for her, it wouldn't fit with her new, Nexus approved personality. Gone was Diva with a Mouth, enter the Ice Queen Dynasty. It would take some getting used to, but for now she had to do it. Her career and subsequently her life depended on it.

That wasn't to say that the taunts of the crowd didn't get to her. Never in her life had she felt so much hate and it was making her sick to her stomach. She quickly told herself that it was exactly what she deserved, punishment for her crimes. This is what happens when you sign her life away to evil men, you instantly become the villainess. Maybe she could find a way to redeem herself, maybe she was worth saving. She grew up reading about the bad girls going good in all her comic book issues, one of which was tattooed on shoulder blade. Emma Grace Frost, the ultimate Ice Queen. She got the tat to remind herself that if need be, she could shut herself off from the outside world, she could do what was necessary and now she need to more than ever. The more she could shut off, the less she would lose. Once she realized what she was doing, she would let herself back out again, become good again. Maybe the ones she left behind would still be there, maybe not. But for the moment it was time for a little self-preservation. For once, The Supreme Diva was going to take care of herself.

Maybe it was the McMahon in her after all…


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7.79: Imperfect Situations

She hated it here. She hated it here and she hated herself for what she had done. The guys around her were constantly high-fiving each other, as if she was the ultimate reward for all their hard work; like she was no more than a trophy won by their selfish acts. Was this the way it was going to be from now on? She would become less and less of a person with each evil deed performed until there was nothing but a shell of her former self remaining. She didn't care either way; it was her punishment after all. If she hadn't lied to everyone who cared about here, she wouldn't be in this mess. But if she told the truth, she would have been bounced right out of her contract and out the front door. As is always the case in her life, she was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Let's face it; she kind of enjoyed having this little secret. It was something that was hers, her own personal inside joke. Now the joke was on her. Of all people to discover the truth, it had to be Vickie. Their paths never really crossed too many times, however the woman had always rubbed her the wrong way. Maybe it was the way she seemed to reek of undeserving accomplishment, maybe it was the voice. Maybe it was the way she seemed to have it out for Dee from the beginning. Whatever it was, it was enough to put Vickie high on her list of people to personally take out once this was all said and done; topped only by CM Punk and Daddy Dearest himself.

The thing that bothered her the most during all of this was his absence during this whole situation. He had to notice something was up if she of all people had joined up with the Nexus. He had to notice that Vickie had gone through his files on and discovered the truth about his youngest child. Did he just not care? She knew that he didn't want her to begin with; the look on his face when she walked into his office for their first meeting said it all. She didn't even know the truth until a few days before that meeting, which of course made the whole experience beyond awkward.

She still remembered the day Delinda Gratton sat her down to tell her the truth of her parentage. How Megan had been conceived in Vince McMahon's office in Stamford, Connecticut, right on his desk. It wasn't a pre-meditated act on Delinda's part by any means, just something that happened one night when they were working late together. Her mother had only been interning with the company for a few weeks, not even enough time for her father to learn her first name. He knew what he wanted and in the heat of the moment, her twenty-two year old mother gave it to him. However, once Vince was told of what came from that night of passion, her mother was let go of her position and sent pack back to Philadelphia. To her credit, Delinda never used what happened to her against Vince McMahon, but it was more out of fear of losing her only child to him than out of respect. No, she lost respect for the man after he threw money at her and told her to "take care of HER little problem and go the hell home."

Until that day, she had believed the lies that her mother had told her. Until that day, she believed that her father was her mother's best friend since grade school, Patrick Kincaid. Until that day, her life had made sense. One moment she was the fatherless daughter from Philadelphia, bouncing around from one indy federation to the next, all in an effort to build up her in-ring credibility. She slept in her car while out on the road and lived off of Oodles of Noodles and counting down the days until she could get a shot in the WWE, never knowing that the man whose seed had spawned her owned the keys to her dream. For a brief moment, she hated her mother, hated her for keeping her from knowing him. She felt used, played with…like her entire life had been a meaningless lie. At that point, it hadn't mattered that the lies were spoken in an effort to spare her the truth of what her father was truly like, all that mattered was that her life was over. No one would look at her the same way in this business. Every win would be looked at under a fine-tooth comb, every title reign written off as a gift from daddy. A father that never once called her on her birthday, never comforted her when she a boy broke her heart, a father that never showed up for a single school play. It was easier to think that her father had died, because at least she knew that if he was still alive, he would have been there. It wasn't his fault that he was dead, while it was her real father's choice not to be there. He abandoned her, yet he was the one she had to go to if she wanted to fulfill the dream she had since she was ten years old and watched great women like Alundra Blayze and Bull Nakano duke it out.

She had to hand it to Vince McMahon, if he was nervous about meeting his illegitimate child for the first time at twenty-one, nearly the same age her mother was when they had first met, he didn't show it. He looked at her piercing blue eyes, ones not so different from those of his other daughter, and spoke as he did to every other wannabe that walked through his doors. The meeting went as it should have, with one minor bump. If she wanted to stay in her father's company, no one was to discover the truth about her. That meant keeping it from her best friend, Dee. If the truth came into the light, he would most likely lose everything. Linda knew of his multiple affairs, but they had come to terms with them and he hadn't strayed outside their marriage in nearly two decades. As a matter of fact, Delinda Gratton had been the last. But if it had ever came to light that he fathered a child with one of those women, she would have him but the grapefruits. Besides, other than giving her a shot at becoming the best thing to ever grace women's wrestling, she wanted nothing from him. Not back child support, not a push up the wrestling ladder. She was taught from a young age that if she wanted something bad enough, she had to work her ass off for it.

And that was exactly what she did. She busted her ass on the indy circuit, working her way up and down the east coast, all while waiting for Dee to finish high school so they could go for it together. Once they were signed to the WWE, it was anything but short of a walk in the park for either of them. Being a woman and on the bottom of the totem pole a lesson in patience. Men gawked at you, the catcalls (at least the ones for Dee) were never ending, and the other women are catty because they know that unlike the men, their time was very limited in this business. The very fact that Meg and Dee had made it this long was nothing short of a miracle. That's why she was willing to do anything to keep the two of them in this business, even if it cost them their friendship and the love of her life. If she could only tell Dee why she was doing this, she was sure her best friend, of all people, would understand. As for Hunter…

"You have nothing worth listening to on your iPod. I didn't think anyone could have a worse taste in music than Punk." Husky Harris laughed so hard at his own joke that he snorted, bringing Meg back to reality. "ABBA? Reel Big Fish? And who in the hell is Blondie?"

Meg said nothing as she made her way towards him, her eyes zeroing in on her prey. In a few swift moves, she snatched her iPod from his hands and kicked him in the little Harris, the ended it with an elbow to the side of the face.

"If I EVER hear you speak ill of my taste in music, and more importantly ever speak ill of the greatest band to ever grace this world, Blondie, I will bust your face into a million pieces." As per usual, the rest of the Nexus made their way towards her, ready to strike. "If you guys would like, I could make you a few Blondie mixes, this way you can discover for yourself what an amazing band they are." Within seconds, her back was pinned against the way. "Ok, fine. You can each take turns with my iPod, but please use your own headphones. Sharing them with you guys just seems gross."

"Boys, boys, leave the little lady here alone."

"Screw you, Brooks. If they want me, let'em at me. I really don't give two shits anymore."

A sick smile spread across his face. "You heard the lady, boys. Have fun!"

Her eyes widened as Mason Ryan, David Otunga, and Michael McGillicutty advanced towards her, each licking their lips at the mere thought of dismantling the girl that has been throwing insults their way since the moment she arrived, crossed their minds. She slid down the wall until her bottom hit the floor and raised her arms to protect herself against their attacks. Just as Ryan was about to connect with a swift kick to the side of her head, she let out a whimper.

"Call'em off, Punk! Please!"

Ryan looked to his leader, who motioned for him to drop his leg.

"Megan, Megan please. It's ok, think of us as you would your family." He dropped down and pulled the now sobbing woman into his arms. Although her head and heart bellowed at her to pull away, it was exactly what her aching body needed and she gave into the only piece of human kindness she had felt in days. "Of course, not YOUR family. We actually want you here."

The boys laughed as Meg's delicate psyche broke, sending her into a wail of tears. Her body ached as it rocked back and forth, all while still in his arms. As he held onto her quaking body, that serial killer grin never left his face…

In a private locker room on the other side of the arena, Triple H paced the floor, ignoring the crowd of doctors as they pleaded with him to allow them to examine him. His mind raced with every step he took, replaying the night's events over and over again, as if they were on one continuous loop.

How could he have misjudged her? After everything he had been through with his ex-wife, he had thought he had learned his lesson. The signs had been staring him in the face for the past two weeks or so; the late-night strolls, her mannerisms were off, the unexplainable bruises, the terrible lies as to where they came from. It was slowly starting to make sense. Had she been cheating on him with CM Punk, of all people? She had always mocked his taste in tattoos and did a great impression of his lackies, but was it all just for show? A cover up to keep him from discovering the truth about the two of them? And if so, where did Dee fit into it all? Had she discovered the truth about them and was trying to send a message to them to quit while they were ahead?

No, despite everything that had happened in the past hour, he couldn't bring himself to believe these things about the woman he once loved. This was Megan Gratton, after all. The Supreme Freaking Diva! This was his precious little ginger, the girl who cried while watching Animal Planet, and couldn't leave home without her suitcase filled with comic books. No matter how grueling their schedules got and how serious things got backstage, she always knew just what to say to make the group of them laugh. She saw through everyone's flaws and chose to befriend them anyway. And once she considered you a friend, she would fight tooth and nail for you, no matter what. However, behind those big blue eyes he constantly found himself lost in, there was a lot of mystery. Her family was a tightly held secret, almost as if she was ashamed of it. He had always found that strange about her, but he saw the pain in her eyes when he brought it up and it wasn't something he liked seeing too often.

Maybe he should have seen this coming? Although they had been engaged for nearly a year, she never set a real date and made no real effort to get the ball rolling on things, with the only exception being her choosing Dee to be her maid of honor, big shocker there. He knew from the first time they flirted with each other and the little girl from Philadelphia made him of all people blush, that they he wanted to spend the rest of his life doing everything possible to make that amazing smile of hers never leave those lips. Everyone thought he was crazy for proposing to her after only four proper dates, but he knew she was different. At least, that's what he thought he knew.

Still, despite all the evidence that screamed otherwise, he had to believe she still loved him. There had to be a reason behind this, she would never go willingly to Nexus. The idea of them skeeved her, she spoke of this for months now. CM Punk as a person made her retch. Why would so go to them, why now? The bruises, the changes in behavior, they had to be the cause of this. That was the only sane solution he could come up with. Even if things were over between them, he still had to fight for her. If he didn't, who would? Dee? It would be suicide.

Dee…

Without saying a word, he ushered the doctors out of his room and grabbed his phone. Within seconds, he got her voicemail.

"Dee, it's Paul. Listen, I think something might be wrong with Meg…shit just isn't adding up. We need to get together and talk about this. Call me when you get this."

Randy. He might be able to shed some outsider's light on the subject.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Dream-mares and Night-scapes

The clicking of the phone and eventual dial tone reminded her of just how alone she was now. In the span of just one night, she managed to sever ties with the girl she had regarded as a sister and the man of her dreams, not to mention the fact that she alienated her entire fan base, which hurt nearly as bad as her personal loses. She could even at the Diva's Championship; much like the hammer of Mjolnir, she didn't feel worthy enough to wield it. She had no one but the Nexus boys now, a group of over-grown children being led by none other than Jim Jones himself. While the rest of the guys despised the fact that she was here and let that fact known every chance they got, Punk worked his charms on her, making her feel like she finally had a place to call home.

But it wasn't the home she wanted. With her friend and near-husband, she felt at home. However, her lies made her stand apart from them and cost her everything but her career. Of course, it might as well have cost her that too. She couldn't stand to look at the faces in the crowd as they judged her for taking the cowards road. They didn't know her; really, they didn't know what she had been through. The nights she spent awake, driving her insane over what she was doing. It was her own personal torment. And all the while, daddy dearest sat back, watching over her career, knowing deep down what he was doing to her and he never lifted a finger. He profited off of her anguish and knowing him, he relished it. Enjoyed it, even. She hated him, she truly did. He knew what cards to play, which strings to pull, to make her the perfect puppet and it seemed CM Punk graduated from the same school Vince McMahon did with flying colors. It was almost as if HE was the one related to the man and not her!

Around her, the boys of Nexus acted like asses, using their shared hotel room as their own personal playground. From the safety of a chair in the corner, she watched in amazement as typical frat-boy behavior took over, leaving the room in shambles. While she was used to having fun in hotel room, lord knows how many hotels don't really want herself and Dee back ever again, this was taking it to the extreme. She almost felt like a babysitter to a bunch of pre-pubescent boys, she almost wanted to ask their parents for a pay raise.

She pulled out her phone and stared at it. Part of her wanted to call Dee back, tell her the truth about everything. The other part of her screamed at her to call her fiancé…ex-fiancé, she needed to remember that, and beg him to forgive her. Hot tears threatened to spill down her face, but she blinked them away. This is not the way an Ice Queen behaves. Nexus saw her cry tonight and that was bad enough, now she had to solider on. Shed her skin and start anew. It was how she would survive the new circumstances life tossed her way. If not, she wouldn't make it too far…and her father would win. That was the last thing she wanted to do.

"You are being quite over there."

Meg's blue eyes made her way over to where the voice came from and noticed CM Punk's own brown eyes gazing into her own. Her cheeks flushed as she realized he had been staring at her the entire time.

"You would be too, if you just lost everything and everyone."

"A bit dramatic, aren't we?"

She ignored him, opting instead to stare at her feet. She only looked up when she heard his footsteps grow closer to her, startling her.

"It's ok to be dramatic every now and then. You've earned that right."

Her mouth dropped. "Earned it? You've blackmailed me into joining your little cult! My sister is no longer speaking to me, my engagement is as good as off, and the fans hate me. ME! The Supreme Fricking Diva! Do you have any idea what that's like?" She paused, remembering who she was speaking to. "Oh, that's right, the fans used to love you. Now, they can't stand the sight of you. However, you are an unfeeling sociopath. Me? I have feelings. This is killing me."

"Is that all?"

"Not quite. When this is all said and done and the truth is allowed to come off, I will come after you. Vince first, then Vickie, then you…the goon squad is last, since they aren't important enough to track down. If it takes an army, so be it."

"Tsk, tsk, Megan. I expected more from you. We don't want to break you down, we want you exactly how you are. A fiery little pistol, the self-proclaimed Diva with A Mouth. Daddy wanted you to live the lie, not the rest of us. All we wanted was for you to grace us with your presence."

"Whatever helps you sleep at night," She mumbled to herself. "And speaking of sleep…I am going to go do exactly that."

CM Punk backed up and mock waved her own, watching her closely as she gracefully made her way towards the adjoining bedroom. In a few swift moves she changed into her sock monkey pjs, a gift from Dee from this past Christmas, jumped into bed, and settled in for a long night of listening to which one of us can burp the loudest. Usually, that would amuse her and she would join in, but with the boys of Nexus, it all seemed too contrived. Instead, she drowned her sorrows by turning on some bad TV.

"How could you do this to me?"

There he was, just a mere twenty feet away from her. His dark blonde hair flowed in the wind, yet her body felt nothing. It was almost as if she was hallow, a non-entity. Like she was barely there.

"Hunter! HUNTER!" She ran at him, her legs pumping as hard as she could get them. "HUN….TER!"

Although he wasn't moving, she wasn't getting any closer to him. The world around them was bright, like they were walking into the sun, but there was nothing else around them. Just the two of them, nothing else in the world mattered. Yet, he wouldn't acknowledge her existence.

"You lied to me, you lied to us all."

"I'm sorry!"

"You never loved me."

"THAT'S A LIE! I LOVE YOU WITH ALL MY HEART!" He started walking away. "PAUL….PAUL…."

Her body jolted up in bed, her heart racing. Cold beads of sweat made their way down her clammy skin, chilling her body. The ominous red numbers on the clock blurred her vision and it took her a minute to register the fact that it was only 4:22 am, less than three hours after she shut her eyes.

"Friggin' lame!" She jumped ten feet in the air after a light tap on the door killed the silence around her. "Who's there?"

"It's Philip…you were screaming-"

Great, she thought to herself. The whole lot of them probably heard her crying out for Hunter in her sleep. Just another thing for them to get on her about.

"Sorry, it was nothing."

"Mind if I come in?" He voice was smooth, calming. "I don't mean to pry, I was just worried about you."

For once, he sounded sincere, like he might actually be a human being after all. Maybe he had realized what bastard he had been recently, maybe he was a nice person underneath and Vicki was the one making him do all of this. It wasn't the first time she had manipulated innocent people into doing her dirty work. But, no matter what he sounded like, she had to know that he was the enemy. Even if Vicki was getting him to do this for some reason, that didn't mean he had the right to kick her stomach until it was bruised and let his lackies bully her. But if she was going to survive…

"I guess so…"


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 8 2/4ths – For the Love of Megan Elizabeth Gratton

She stirred in her sleep, letting the slightest moan escape her lips. She couldn't have been more vulnerable; it was taking everything in his power not to pull her close to him, to feel the warmth of her body against his skin. It was like heaven to him, to finally have what he coveted all these years. All that lay ahead of him was gaining her trust just a little more, he couldn't rush things, or he risked losing her. She was just the right kind of person to try something like this on. She was too trusting and so pure, until the rest of the ring rats and whores that waltz into this business, acting like they own the place. On top of that, her "daddy issues" left her with abandonment issues that run deep. All the things you would look for in a blackmailing victim. It was almost unfair of him to put her through this.

No, this was all her fault.

She was just a baby when she caught his eye, barely eighteen when she entered his territory in Ring of Honor. The wrestling business came easy to her, almost as if she had been specifically bred for it. Of course, this was all before even she knew of the McMahon blood that flowed through her veins. It was her love for the business that made him fall for the red-headed Diva. She lived for this business, taught herself the ins and outs of it before she even entered ROH, and even went as far as to teach some of the other Divas how to actually wrestle. Yet, despite her talent and knowledge, she was humble, always pushing the praise onto others around her.

Before he could make his move, she was gone. While she waited for her buddy Dee to graduate, she bounced from federation to federation, learning what she could from one place before moving onto the other. Before long, the girls were in the WWE and by the time their paths crossed again, she had her eyes on the big-nosed oaf himself. Fate had been a cruel mistress before, but now it was starting to smile on him. Triple H had his turn with her, now it was his time.

He was almost giddy with glee when the acting GM came to him with her plan to set up the girls. Vicki discovered the truth about Megan's past months ago, but luckily for him, she didn't have the brains to figure out what exactly she was sitting on. The person that held this type of information had the keys to the WWE City, so to speak, and all she carried about was getting her hands on Dee for some reason and, quite possibly, Meg's Championship Title. Women. All it took was getting under Dee's skin by setting up the Viper, then toying with the delicate psyche of the Diva's Champion. In the end, both parties got what they wanted, a win-win situation all around. Well, except on Dee's part, but who the hell cared?

"Hunter…"

"Sleep now, my darling." He softly whispered into her ear before gently brushing her hair from her cheek. He wanted to kiss her, to take her into him, but he thought better of it. "Soon…soon I will have you."

His hotel room was empty, almost cold without her. Noticeably quiet. On any other normal day, he would long for time like this. It was nothing against his fiancé…ex-fiancé it would seem…but she wasn't exactly known for being silent. It was always as if she had an unnatural fear of the quiet, like if she didn't fill that space with a story or funny quip, then something was going to get her. He loved that about her. The only time she wasn't talking was when she was sleeping, eating, and curled up somewhere, reading a comic. Even then, that was debatable, as she often spoke with her mouth full AND in her sleep. It never bothered him, however he now felt as if he had taken her 'noise' for granted.

The lunch date with Dee still rang fresh in his mind and he felt badly about it. It was easier to place the blame on someone else than it was to face the facts that she was gone. He didn't even want to speak her name allowed, because the pain was too much. It wasn't like he hadn't had his heart broken before; lord knows how much it killed him to look in Stephanie's general direction after all she put him through. But somehow, the way she treated him at the end of their relationship made it all hurt a little less when they finally split. This betrayal came out of left field, coupled with the fact that he still had no idea how or why this happened.

He wanted to call her, despite the hour, just to hear her voice. He wanted to flip open his phone and see her smiling face, one of the best pictures he had of her. He wanted to tear his way through the Nexus, bit by bit, asshole by asshole, but he knew he couldn't do it alone. Especially, not in the shape he was in. He could team up with Randy, he knew Randy hated Nexus almost as much as he did, but that might not be enough. Dee…would she even speak to him after the way he acted towards her? He would have to wait and see.

Caving to his own desires, he lunged for his cell and flipped it. Hair the color of a raging inferno, eyes like sapphires. While she herself and others might question her beauty, she was the best looking woman he has ever had the pleasure of laying his eyes on. It wasn't just her looks, it was more than that. She was generally a good person, always seeing the good in everyone. He loved her nerdiness, her sense of humor, her love of the business. He couldn't help but fall for her. It didn't matter to him that she was so much younger than him, nearly half his age, but it didn't matter. She was the only woman for him. He was going to fight for her; he was going to make her see what he saw. He knew that deep down inside her, she still loved him. There was a logical explanation for all of this.

No matter what happened or does happen….he would bring down the Nexus. One jobber at a time. CM Punk…your days are numbered.

"Shit snacks!"

With just days until the Rumble, Smackdown was buzzing with excitement and worry. The worry, however, was for the most part absent from the locker room shared by the members of the New Nexus, special guests of acting GM Vickie Guerrero. It was almost a flashback to the McMahon-Helmsely faction, a time thought lost among wrestling fans these days. Otunga, Harris, and Ryan sat on the circle of couches, stuffing their faces with the finger food that sat on the table in the middle of the couches and laughed, pointing at random super stars and gloating over their triumphs over them. At the center of it all was the "power couple", CM Punk and his Diva, sharing a small love seat.

On the monitor in front of them, Rey Mysterio was suffering a savage beating at the hands of Kane, leaving the boys of Nexus in stitches. The more Rey tried to fight back against the monster, the funnier they found it. Disgusted, Meg rose up, taking everyone's eyes with her.

"What is wrong with you guys? He's smaller than me and you think this is funny?" The boys stared at her blankly. "Whatever. I'm out of here."

The guys started to rise, but CM Punk raised his hand, stopping them dead in their tracks. Without saying a word, she pulled her iPod out of her bag and walked out the door. It wasn't their badly timed humor and obnoxious laughter that drove her out of that room, it was the over-whelming feeling of shame she felt if she was in their company for long periods of time. Looking at them brought back the images of Hunter being beaten at their hands, something she would never forgive them for. As soon as she had the chance to strike back, she was going to make them wish they never messed with a Diva!

"Holy shit, it's the turncoat herself!"

She reconized the voice right away. With a smile on her face for the first time in at least two weeks, she spun around.

"Adam!" He opened his arms and she went barreling into them. "What are you doing here?"

"Um…I'm the champion, I'm supposed to be here. The question is, what are YOU doing here?"

"Vicki invited Nexus over as her 'special guest' for some reason, so they drug me along. I guess the boys can't go anywhere without their eye candy."

"How's your other half, Dee?"

She looked at her feet. "I really don't know."

He grabbed her chin the way Hunter always did and forced her to look at him. "What are you doing, Meg? You are so much better than this!"

"It's just business."

"You think Paul believes it's 'just business'?"

She turned away. "You wouldn't understand…"

"Enlighten me."

"I can't…" She turned back around, her blue eyes pleading with him not to dive any further into it. "You know if there was any other way around this, I wouldn't be doing this. You know me better than that…right?"

"We went through a lot back in the day, you and I. Edge and his Diva." He laughed slightly. "Then Paul caught your eye and you've been his ever since. But in our time together, I got to know you quite well. Whatever he's got on you, it must be something juicy, 'cause you'd never get rid of him that easily."

"Can you do me a favor?"

"Anything for you, darling."

"Tell him I'm sorry." Her eyes glistened with tears. "I've got to go!"

"Gratton?" He paused, taking in what she asked of him. "GRATTON!"

She was long gone. Without thinking, she ran out of the door of the nearest exit, abandoning the Nexus, abandoning her problems, leaving everything behind. She contemplated just leaving all together; hoping on a red-eyed flight back to Philadelphia and hiding out at her childhood home in Northwood. Her mother would put this all right, she always made everything better.

Mom. That's it.

Without thinking, Meg grabbed her phone from her pocket and within moments, it was ringing.

"Mommy…I've done something terrible…"


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 9 – A funny thing happened on the way to the 'Rumble…

As if Edge's words weren't rattling around in her head, the voice mail she had to leave her mother sent her over the cliff. What was she really doing? Everyone she ever cared about was getting hurt because of her. Hunter hasn't been seen or heard from since Nexus's beat down, Dee is also a bit M.I.A. Her mother hasn't called to check up on her, like she did at least three times a week. Delinda warned her daughter that something like this could happen, especially after she fell head over heels for her own half-sister's ex-husband. But she couldn't help it, she really couldn't. He wasn't like the other boys she dated, none of them got her. They wanted to change her, mold her into the girl they wanted to date. She wasn't like other girls and he understood that. Embraced it, even.

And now he was gone. The only one in her corner now was the guy that blackmailed her into joining his group. Sure, Brooks was being a perfect gentleman last night; he listened to her blubber over something as stupid as a dream. It made her feel worse that she was even crying the way she was, it wasn't in her nature. But anything that had to do with her father brought out the scared little girl in her and she didn't know why. Abandonment issues? Maybe. Whatever it was, she was going to have to take a stand. It was one thing when she was the only one getting hurt, but now it was affecting those closest to her and it was going to have to stop.

But how?

With the Main Event of Edge and Kofi Kingston teaming up against the likes of Jack "The All-American American" Swagger and Alberto Del Rio underway, the noise level in the Nexus locker room was growing into a fever pitch. It seemed without the presence of their female member, the boys of Nexus took to treating their locker room with the respect usually given to a frat house. CM Punk, who usually was all for the rowdiness that being with the boys causes, sat back in his seat and let his mind wonder.

He should be happy. He was the leader of the Nexus. Megan Gratton was slowly but surely coming over to his side. But something was missing…something was off. He couldn't quite put his finger on it. Maybe it was the fact that all of this was too easy. If it was always going to be this easy, why didn't it happen sooner? Vicki just so happened to come across the very information he would need to gain Megan's trust…Vicki of all people. She wasn't exactly the brightest bulb in the tanning bed. How could she have possibly come across information like this? Granted, he was glad it was her that came across it, and not someone with the smarts to use it for their own personal gain. He knew enough to know when something was fishy in fishville. Yet, part of him didn't care. Actually, if he was going to be honest with himself, he almost completely didn't care. With the exception of not having a Championship title, he had everything needed to be one of the most powerful people in the biz today.

"Hey boss, where's the broad?" Husky Harris's statement snapped Brooks back to the land or reality. "She's been gone for a while now."

Megan.

"Why don't you guys finish up here and I'll see if I can find her."

She was going to try to bolt. He knew it. But where to? It wasn't as if she had somewhere to go, the only friends she had in the business were no longer on speaking terms with her, he made damn sure of that. Who else was she close to that would take her in now that she was tainted by the Nexus?

"Edge…"

Once upon a time, a little known girl found herself under the wing of the former Rated R superstar. This, of course, was before she caught the eye of one Triple H. Rumors swirled that they were more than just a Jedi master/Patawan relationship, something both parties have always passed off as nothing more than utter and complete garbage. However, they still remained friends when their paths crossed. Would he help her out now? Would she trust anyone from her past, even someone unconnected to these recent events? He couldn't take a lead like this too lightly, but until he was done in his match, Brooks would have to keep searching. He had worked too hard and too long to get his hands on The Supreme Diva….he wasn't going to let something like her "thinking for herself" get in the way.

"Well, well, if it isn't my partner in crime?"

He turned to find himself face to face with Dolph Ziggler and his…life-partner of sorts, Vicki Guerrero.

"By any chance, you haven't come across Miss Gratton, have you?" He tried not to look too concerned, less he give them the upper hand later on. "She stepped outside to clear her head and I just wanted to make sure nothing came of her."

Vicki scoffed. "I thought the 'information' I gave you was enough to get her the hell out of his federation, along with her hose beast of a friend, Dee!"

"Dee is all but done in this industry, my men saw to that. Megan is a different story."

"Why is that, Mr. Straight-Edge? Did someone fall for the little 'Daddy's Girl'?" She laughed at her own joke. "Come on, Brooks. It isn't like she's Stephanie McMahon or anything…you aren't going to get ahead just by giving that little fire crotch the business."

If anything could or would make CM Punk of all people lose his cool, it would be something like this: assuming you know what he wants. "Don't you EVER speak a single derogatory word about her…she is EVERYTHING-" He quickly composed himself. "Listen; just don't talk about her like that. She isn't like the rest of these ring rats."

"Whatever you say, lover boy. Just heed my advice…banging her isn't going to move you up in this company. Go for Stephanie…you know her, right? The daughter Vince actually gives a shit about!"

"Unlike you, Vicki, I don't feel the need to marry into this business. Without her, I am still on top. Without a title, I am still on top. I wanted Megan for very different reasons…something you would never comprehend."

"Lie to yourself all you want, I see you for what you are Brooks."

CM Punk snickered. "It is you that is transparent, Victoria."

Nothing was said as the couple made their way past Punk and walked down the hall; however, her cackle of a laugh echoed beyond her. He watched her walk in complete silence, unable to even give the situation he was just in the justification of vocalization. As he turned to continue his quest for Megan, he came face to face with the red-head herself.

"Did you mean that? You aren't doing this because of my father's influence?" Her blue eyes widened.

He pulled her close and hugged her, his body trembling. This was it; this was everything he worked so hard for. "Of course. Don't you think I would have just outted you or gone right to your father with my findings? I am sorry I was so cruel to you in the beginning…I just had to save face in front of my men. The slightest bit of weakness and…"

She raised her finger to his lips. "I understand. It'll be our little secret."

Maybe she was wrong about him. Maybe he had her best interests at heart. Vicki came to him, plotted against her and Dee, but this was the best way he saw to save her. Maybe, just maybe, we all had him pegged as this horrible person that he actually hadn't been. Maybe he was misunderstood.

Maybe…

As they made their way back to the locker room suite, the smile of pure victory never left CM Punk's face…


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 10 – The Rocky Road to WrestleMania…Will There Be Ice Cream? **Pt. One**

With everything that has happened over the course of a few weeks, it was easy for Meg to completely forget that her Diva's Championship was on the line in a triple threat match at the Royal Rumble. This, thankfully, gave her a good excuse as to why she would need her own dressing room for the night. In the two days that past since Smackdown, she had grown close to Punk. In him, she almost found a kindred spirit, someone she could talk to at a time when she was feeling alienated from those she loved the most. She told him the truth, of her believing Patrick Kincaid to be her father, of her childhood in Philadelphia, of her High School years with Dee. He seemed to hang on every word and it was something special between just them. With Dee, she couldn't always get a word in edge wise, being as Dee ALWAYS had something to say. With "The Game", it was almost always about the business, which was great, but sometimes she just needed to get stuff off her chest and she could do that with him without losing him.

As great as the past few days with Punk have been, she longed for the company of her family. She had yet to hear any news about Dee or Hunter and she was starting to worry. Why did she say those things to Dee? Her words haunted her; she never should have listened to the boys of Nexus. How could she be so insensitive and cruel? That wasn't her; it wasn't how she was raised. And as nice as Punk has been to her, the image of Nexus beating down the only man she has ever loved remained in her head. It was all too much for her to handle, hence the private room.

Although her match with Natalya and Eve was the last match before the Rumble itself, she made sure to get there before everyone else made their way in, if only to avoid the dirty looks and snickers that have plagued her since she joined Nexus. The silence was almost like therapy (hell, she should know), comforting, helping her make sense of her cluttered mind. She stared at her Diva's Title, smiling at the butterfly-life design.

"At least I know YOU'LL never leave me!" She laughed to herself, enjoying the rare chance to smile. The Championship Title was the only constant in her life at the moment, the only proof she had that she might actually be one of the greatest women in this business. It was like a security blanket. It might not be the Women's Championship she always dreamed of one day having and these girls might not be up to par with The Fabulous Moolah or Ivory, but it still meant the world to her. The Title proved she was special, that all her years of training, all the blood she has shed, the years she bounced around from company to company, working her way up the ladder, had not been in vain.

However, everything can't stay this way forever, these past few weeks have more than proven that. Her friendship with Dee was as good as gone; Triple H's love for her was as null and void as his marriage to her half-sister. Was he even going to be at the 'Rumble? She couldn't bring herself to think of what she would say to him the next time she saw him. Would they pretend they never meant anything to one another? What would become of her belongings she kept at his home in New Hampshire? More importantly, if the truth came out…would he still love her?

Worst still, was her standings with the woman she considered to be her sister. Through it all, Dee had always been there for her…boyfriends and friends came and went, but sisters were in it for the long haul. They always had each other's back, no matter what, from High School drama, through family bullshit, through all their years of training and hard work and fighting to get to the top of this business. Now, there was nothing left but a gaping hole, a void that filled her with such pain that it was hard to concentrate on nearly anything. She needed to find a way to fix everything, but nothing came to mind. If only her mother was answering her calls. If anyone could fix this, it was Delinda Gratton.

-

He almost blew off the 'Rumble completely. After the beating he received at the hands of Nexus, he was told he needed to miss the next few weeks' worth of matches, but he couldn't back out now. Even if all he did was sit backstage and watch, he was going to be here. Something told him that if he was going to get any answers out of The Supreme Diva, it was going to be here. After her match with Natalya and Eve…he would corner her. She would tell him the truth, even if it killed her. He could've live without her and even if he has to go on without her, he at least deserved to know why.

She owed him at least that much.

-

Punk knew her pre-match rituals like the back of his hand. A walk around the arena with her music blaring from her iPod, usually a mix of Blondie and MC Chris with a little Weezer and Reel Big Fish tossed in for good measure, a few stretches, and a call to her mother if the match was an important one. He watched her from the shadows, mentally checking off each one as she completed it. The only one he couldn't check off was the phone call home to mommy.

Mommy wasn't speaking to her! He was almost certain of it.

He made a mental note of it before knocking softly on her door. "Hey, Meg, mind if I join you?"

She nodded slightly, then turned her attention back to the cellphone that sat in her hand. It was as if she was waiting for a sign from up above to come crashing down upon her, a bolt of inspiration to hit her and steer her in the proper direction. Her eyes were wide, sad. Almost like a lost puppy, or an abandoned child in a mall. It took everything in him not to grin from ear to ear as he sat next to her, putting his arm around her in a comforting gesture.

"What's the story, Morning Glory?" He asked her, sliding a hidden smile in her direction. "Tonight's huge for you."

"That goes for you too…I'd love a chance to be in the 'Rumble. After seeing Chyna enter the 'Rumble, I've always wanted to do it!"

"Maybe you'll get the chance once day."

"Not bloody likely. They refuse to even let us girls fight you guys in inter-gender tag matches. Why would they start allowing us girls show what we can do in the 'Rumble?" She huffed. "We might 'break a nail' or something. Pathetic."

He smiled and took her hand. "One day…you'll do it. I know there is more to you than just another pretty face."

She blushed, hiding it behind her hair. "Thanks. I know I will. That was always Dee and I's dream…to prove that us girls can be gorgeous and just as dangerous as Chyna. I mean, I love being Diva's Champion, I really do. It just isn't the same as it used to be."

"Why don't you go to your dad about these things?"

"I actually have barely spoken to him since he hired me. Come to think of it…I'm pretty sure he hasn't even looked in my general direction since I walked out of his office when I was twenty-one." She sighed, placing her head on his shoulder. "Sometimes…sometimes I think it would've been easier if I had just gone to nursing school and followed in my mother's footsteps. But no…I guess it was always in my blood to do…THIS!"

"As much as I'd love to see you in one of those old fashion nursing outfits, complete with the little shoes, I couldn't see you doing anything but this." Instinct took over and he kissed her forehead gently. "You are an amazing champion, no matter what belt is on your waist. And one day, you'll be an entry into the 'Rumble. Hell, if Beth Phoenix can do it, so can you!"

She looked up at him and smiled. "Thanks…I needed this tonight. No matter how old I get or how many years I am put in here, I always call my mom for a pep talk before a big match. She…she didn't answer her phone tonight, so I'm glad you were here to take over for her, so to speak."

Ah, mommy issues. "What's your mother like?"

Another smile. "Amazing, really. I know a lot of people say that, but I mean it. Dee…her parents threw her out at fifteen and my mother took her in, no questions asked. Never once did she ask for anything from the O'Toole's, even though my mom was working double shifts at the hospital, plus picking up hours at movie store just to make ends meet. She raised me without a single hand out from anyone, least of all my 'father'." She sighed again. "Dee's my sister, no matter what our blood says. She's been there for me when no one else was…and I haven't even seen her since-"

"Don't let yourself think of this now…you've got the match of a lifetime coming up in less than a half an hour."

She glanced at her watch and freaked. "That's right…dammit; I'm not ready for this shit. My mind's a mess."

"Well, if you need a little 'help'…" She looked at him crooked. "The boys have been trying to find a way to get on your good side, so I told them I'd think about letting them go to ringside with you as a little insurance policy during your match."

Her mouth dropped. "No way. NOOOO WAY!"

"I never said it would happen…it was merely a suggestion."

"I'm not a cheater."

"I didn't say they would interfere. It was just in case-"

"I'd rather drop my belt to the Bella Twins than be labeled a cheater. It's not in my vocab. Sorry."

He could've kicked himself. "Listen…pretend as if I said nothing. I just thought that it would be something the guys can do for you. They really aren't the most expressive bunch, so I figured this would be the best way of getting the group of you on one page. I can always say no…"

"Then say no. I am not about to have myself labeled as a cheater on top of everything else. I'm a harlot, a backstabber, a villain, a bitch…shit, I'm so many things that I'm lost inside myself. How do you guys DEAL with all of that? Everyone hating you."

"Why should I or others care about what those people think? Most of them are bottom-feeding trash; the others are just imbeciles, coasting through life without knowing how bad they truly have it. It's down-right pathetic, really."

Her mouth dropped. "You are wrong! These people spend good money coming out to see us do what we do, to buy our merchandise, to cheer and boo! We wouldn't be here if it wasn't for them."

"Are they still cheering for you? Are they still buying your merchandise now that you are with us? No…once you were seen as a 'bad girl', they turned on you. They'll start a 'slut' chant when they see you, throw garbage in your general direction. Trust me; I've seen it all before."

"Yeah, well, it's not like I don't deserve that!" She folded her arms against her chest, her face sank. "Listen…I think I need to be alone for a little bit."

"Ok…but your seat is being saved ringside for the Miz/Randy match."

He left before he could get any sort of conformation that she had even bothered to pay attention to that last part. He had to break her; he had to do something to her to make her see that she really has no other way out. Blackmailing her was easy, a little TOO easy, but that wasn't enough for him. If she was going to be his, he needed to show her that there is nothing left for her. That her love for that past his prime hunk of muscle was null and void, that Dee was never going to be there for her. Then, she would have no choice but except that he was all there was left for her. That he was the one she was supposed to be with, almost like fate. Serendipity if you will. Sure, he had to help it along a bit, he had to set into motion the wheels that would one day become their relationship, their LOVE, but it didn't make it any less real. Nothing would get in his way…not Dee, not Randal, not some over-the-hill has been, nothing.

And tonight would prove it.

He didn't expect anyone to notice he was there. Then again, he knew that no matter what he did, she was watching him. Even after all these years, she hadn't moved on like he had. He had to give it to her; she was nothing, if not persistent. It took his eyes a minute or two to adjust as her long flowing auburn hair caught his attention, not to mention those amazing blue eyes that had once been everything to him in the world. For a brief moment, his mind flashed with a picture of Meg just a few months ago, sitting on the edge of the bed they used to share. Her eyes dancing, the same way Stephanie's once did. They were the same color, same shape. Why did seeing his ex-wife now bring this to his attention?

"What, a girl can't get a nice 'hello' from her ex-hubby? What is the world coming to?"

It still wasn't registering with him that she was standing there. It was like a nightmare that he couldn't shake. Or, actually, more along the lines of déjà vu…if that was even possible. No, there should be nothing between them. She betrayed him by lying about her pregnancy. Sure, after the initial shock and hurt faded away, he could see why she did it. At one point in time, she had given up her family, her legacy for him. He meant that much to her. She didn't want to lose him, so she was willing to do something so drastic in order to keep him around, but the damage was already done. And once it was over, she set out to make his life a living hell by aligning herself with Chris Jericho of all people and trying to get her hands on his Championship Title. Of course, that was all in the past now. By the time she became General Manager of Smackdown, he was over it. By the time she was done medalling in his life, he discovered the plucky little Diva and it was all over for Stephanie. Now, she was just another member of the WWE and no longer the woman he once loved. It was almost like this all happened another life time ago, one that keeps coming back to haunt him.

"Earth to Helmsley! Come in, Helmsley!"

"How did you know I was here? It's not like I'm cleared to wrestle?"

She ignored his glare and walked into the room. "I'm a McMahon…we are alerted when wrestlers take a shit."

"Cute. What do you want?"

A frown spread across her face as she sat down on the bench next to him. "Listen…I know I'm not your favorite person in the world, but I thought you put all of this bitterness behind you."

"Sorry…I'm a little on edge, thanks to Punk and his gang of lobotomy patients." He sighed. "Steph…I really loved her. A lot of people didn't think anything would come of us and we proved them wrong. No offense, but after you, I thought I'd never settle down again. Then, like fate, we locked eyes at a house show." He paused, then sighed again. "I know you don't want to hear this from your ex-husband, but she was perfect for me. I love her…and I'm just letting her go. What am I doing?"

"Look…we've been through a lot all these years and I know I am the LAST person you want to get advice from, but maybe there was a good reason why she left you. You speak of fate…well, maybe this was what is in the stars for you guys." She looked into his sad brown eyes and smiled slightly. Just enough to perk his interest. "I'm not going to pretend like I know the ins and outs of your relationship, but things aren't always what they appear to be. She's still young, maybe she had a change of heart about getting married?"

He stood up and began pacing the room. "No…that's not it at all. Up until two weeks ago, everything was great. Then she was disappearing for hours, then showing back up again with bruises. Then, she suddenly aligns herself with Nexus of all groups? It doesn't make any sense and I need to find out why."

"She never bothered to introduce you to her family, Paul. Call me crazy, but how could you possibly love a woman that can't even bring herself to introduce you to mother!"

"Look, she-" He stopped dead and turned to face her. "How did you know that?"

A brief look of panic spread across her face, but it quickly vanished. "Word travels fast around here…it's common knowledge."

"It doesn't matter…something is wrong here and I'm not going to stop until I know what that is." He headed towards the door. "Thanks Steph…I appreciate you looking out for me. It means a lot."

Before she could open her mouth to protest, she was left alone in his smelly little locker room. "Great. Just great."


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 10 – The Rocky Road to WrestleMania…Will There Be Ice Cream?****Pt. Two**

CM Punk had been right about one thing…the fans had officially turned on her. In the mere seconds it took for them to be announced as special announcers for The Miz/Randy Orton title match and for them to reach the ring, the chant of "SLUT" had her nearly in tears. She felt sorry for the amount of times herself and Dee had been in those very seats, doing the exact same thing to the girls they didn't like. If only she knew then, what she knew now…but it probably wouldn't change the situation at hand. The fact of the matter was Punk had been right, no matter what good she did in the past, the fact that she was officially the "bad girl of the WWE", the fans turned on her. And it hurt, hurt a lot more than that she originally thought it would. Despite the easy-going, brush everything off façade she puts out for everyone to see, she was just an insecure little girl.

As the King and Queen of Nexus took their spots at the announcers table next to Michael Cole, "Voices" kicked in, announcing the arrival of The Viper. At one point, she would have gotten giddy over hearing his theme, specifically for the look of pure ecstasy that would flutter onto the face of her best friend, before it was shaken away. Now, it was another remind of what she had lost. As Randy grew close to the ring, he shot her knowing glance that chilled her to the bone. Most of the time, his gaze is enough to make you gulp, but tonight…there was just something about it. Something more "off" than usual. Before she could dwell on it, "AWESOME!" echoed through the arena, sending the arena into a sea of boos. The Miz and his faithful sidekick, Alex Riley, made their way down towards the ring, grinning intensely at the heads of Nexus before making their way into the ring.

DING!

She could barely keep her focus on the match. It was nothing but a blur, a blur punctuated with grunts and groans. Not unlike scrambled porn. For the most part, Randy seemed to have the upper hand, matching The Miz blow for blow, but his hits were just a little harder, a little faster. Finally, a swinging DDT on the Champion gave Randy just the advantage he needed. She felt like just any another fan in the arena; she was sitting on the edge of her seat, biting her lip until it nearly started to bleed as the ref started the count.

1….2….Kick out!

From the seat next to her, CM Punk couldn't what he was witnessing. Despite everything, Meg was still showing loyalty to a man she barely considered a friend. She looked like a school girl, cheering Orton like he was a hometown football hero. It was disgusting. After all of the work he put into breaking Gratton all of her familiar ties in an effort to prove to her that the Nexus were the only ones that were looking out for her and her best interests, she still sat here, rooting for them like they still gave a damn. If they cared for her the way he did, they would be fighting for her. Dee was hiding out in plain sight with the likes of John Cena, while playing the lovely couple with one Randal Keith Orton. A tried and true ring-rat if ever he saw one. And don't even get him started on her has-been of an ex, Helmsley. No one has seen or heard from him since the beat down he received from the Nexus boys, yet he had to know that Meg was now by their collective side. Unlike Helmsley, he was fighting for the woman he loved. He wouldn't have joined forces with someone like that hose beast Vicki Guerrero, if it hadn't been for that little bit of info he needed to formulate a plan to prove to his beloved that he was the only one who truly cared for her. Not her "sister", not the has-been, and not even her own mother.

Initially, the thought the last one was going to be the hardest one of all to pull off. How do you turn a mother against her only child without the child being any the wiser? It's impossible, especially with a mother like Delinda Gratton. So, if you can't turn a mother against her own child, what is the next possible step?

You make the child THINK mommy is no longer speaking to her.

Meg Gratton is well known for a lot of things, but most of all for her habit of leaving important items like keys and cellphones lying around where anyone in the area can get a hold of it. Another bad habit, if you can call it that? An inability to memorize people's phone numbers. Every number she ever needed to have was sitting in her phone, especially that of her beloved mother. All he had to do was switch the cell phone number to another phone and record her phone greeting. Every phone call she has made to her mother in the past three weeks has gone right to a voicemail connected to a pre-paid cell he left abandoned in his duffle bag, leaving Megan feeling abandoned by anyone that means anything to her. Simple, yes, but extremely effective.

However, all of his hard work and planning seemed to be going down the drain. Although she hasn't had a thing to do with her friends and family since she up and abandoned them to keep under wraps her secret origin, she hadn't hardened her heart to them the way he thought she would. The more space placed between them, the easier it will be for Megan to forget them and cut ties with them, leading her right into his arms. To some, this might seem like a villainous act, but it was for her own good. A girl like Miss Gratton needs to be lead in the right direction, or she will be distracted by something shiny on the other side of the room. She needed a man like himself in her life; she just didn't know it yet.

Meanwhile, in the ring, the match was heating up. Bodies were thrown across the ring; the announcer's work was really cut out for them. The Miz caught a charging Viper with a quick clothesline, which he was quickly able to follow up with a few boots to the chest, all before walking around the ring in early celebration. Of course, the celebration went on too long and the Viper struck, catching the Champ with boot to the stomach, followed by a snap suplex. Soon, the Viper had complete control of the match, much to the cringe of The Miz's lacky, Alex Riley. Meg jumped up and down like a kid high on pixy stix, cheering along with the roaring crowd.

Suddenly, it was as if she was watching a movie. A rush of black and yellow stormed from the back, forming what seemed like an attack formation. Her mouth hit the ground as the man next to her jumped to his feet, assuming the position of command leader and bellowed orders to his troops. A blur of purple followed the yellow and black, kicking the knees out from under Mason Ryan, before summersaulting towards the ring, hitting the remaining Nexus army. The purple blur made its way into the ring and pointed.

"YOU!"

Before her mind could register what had actually transpired, CM Punk slid into the ring, setting the closest thing she had for a sister up for the GTS. As she opened her mouth to give Dee a warning, Randy shoved her aside, taking the full impact of the straight-edge superstar's devastating finisher. Dee slid out of the ring, grabbing her ribs as she advanced towards her.

"We need to walk, Miss Gratton."

"Dee…I'm sor-"

Of course, it was too late. Punk collided with Dee, after connecting with a suicide dive over the ropes and sent her ribs first into the announcers table. Meg's screams went unnoticed, thanks to the roar of the crowd. With Dee's last bit of strength, she held up half a heart, something they have done since their high school drama club days. Tears spilled from Meg's eyes as Punk slapped her hand down and whispered something no one else could hear except Dee.

In the ring, Miz pinned Randy, thus retaining his Championship Title. Her eyes widened even more as she saw Alex Riley sneak up behind Dee, grabbing her by the hair and yanking her to her feet. Meanwhile, Punk had his arms full as Meg fought her to get to her best friend's side. It was all for nothing as Riley screaming something she couldn't hear to Dee as she tried to crawl towards her. For a brief moment, their fingertips almost met…until Riley drug Dee into the ring.

"What are you doing, Brooks? Dee had nothing to do with this! I'm by you! You didn't need to hurt her, she has nothing-"

CM Punk ended Megan Gratton's screaming by slamming her, face first, into the barricade….

Backstage, Triple H could do nothing but pace the floor of his personal locker room, his first clenched and his blood boiling. He knew there was not much he could do, as his injury held him back from even participating in tonight's activities. However, his mind changed as CM Punk bounced the women he still love's face off of the barricade, busting her face wide open and knocking her out. It was more than he could bare to watch. Without saying a word, he grabbed his duffle bag and pulled out his best friend…his trusty sledgehammer. A grin spread across his face as he held it up high, getting a feel for the make of it. He had an uphill battle ahead of him, he knew this, but at the very least he now had an equalizer on his side.

He was now a solider on a single-minded mission, ignoring the wrestling world around him as he made his way towards the ring entrance. All that mattered at this exact moment was crossing paths with Punk's merry band of psychos and getting back his beloved from Brooks' grasp. Why did he even allow things to get this bad? If he loved her like he did, he would have fought for her from the beginning. Her blood and bruises were now stained on his hands and it was something he would have to live with. Despite this, all that mattered was getting her back or go down trying.

She thought she had him. He was within her grasp and she just let him slip between her fingers. Granted, it was only a small setback, the consequences of attempting to rush things. But, she couldn't help herself. She's waited for this for four years, four long years. It almost broke her when she heard the rumors that spread like wildfire about their courtship, of the training sessions, the playful banter that seemed to go on forever, the sparks that flew between them. The thought of him with the dorky little ginger made her gag and physically sick to her stomach. Of all the girls he could have had, it had to be her. The one that her father handpicked from the indie feds, the one with loudmouth friend. There was something about her that always struck her as odd…familiar. Like she had met her somewhere before, but it wasn't that. Like they were connected in some way other than their taste in muscular men…but she couldn't exactly put her finger on it.

After watching them flirt back and forth for three years, then seeing the diamond engagement ring on her finger, it all came to a head. She had to know something about this…little girl…something that she could use against her to get the only man she ever loved back into her life. She knew there just had to be a reason why she felt so strongly about her.

All it took was one late night at the office and a dinner date between her parents for her to have her father's office all to herself. All it took was a quick look through Megan Elizabeth Gratton's personal files to discover the truth. It was just like her father to have a bastard child, she was surprised it was only one, but what sickened her was that bastard child just had to be HER. And Gratton KNEW it. And STILL she went after her man. She couldn't help herself; she grabbed a small waste basket and nearly filled it with her posh linguini dinner. For an hour she cried, cried over her father's womanizing ways, over the fact that her own half-sister had stolen Hunter from her. Once she was done crying, she swore to herself that Megan would pay. Not only would she NEVER be blessed with the McMahon name, but she would pay severally for playing with something that was never hers to play with. Call it sibling rivalry, call it whatever you want. The last person in the world you want to piss off is one Stephanie Marie McMahon, and this girl had done more than that.

She knew that pouncing on her early was too easy. If she was going to do this, she was going to do it right. She was going to make this little bitch suffer until she had no choice but leave the company with her tail between her legs. Home to her whore of a mother. Home to Philadelphia, which is a fate worse than death as far as she was concerned. Once she saw the actions of Meg's best friend, Dee O'Toole, she saw the perfect time to strike. Vicki was practically begging for the ammo to bring down Dee, taking out the Diva's Champion was just gravy. Punk was looking to get his grubby little claws on Gratton for one screwed up reason or another, but it matter not to her. As long as she suffered and Hunter was back in her arms that meant the plan was a complete success.

Seeing him tonight nearly blew the whole plan. It took everything in her power not to lose her composure and break down. She was a fool for ever letting him out of her life. At one point in her life, she was willing to give up everything that meant anything to her, including her family, her title in the company, the money, everything. Funny, given the early days of their "relationship". Once she got past all of that, she realized what an amazing person he was. He put on tough-guy persona when it came to the cameras and the fans, but she knew the real guy behind all of that and that was the man she fell head over heels for. But before long, troubles began to bubble in their marriage and before long; she was faking a pregnancy just to keep him with her. Once her bitch of a mother blew the whistle on it, Hunter was gone and she was left with nothing to show for their relationship except a ring that meant nothing and a broken heart. Despite it all, though, she still loved him. In fact, she had never STOPPED love him. He was everything to her and she knew he still loved her. Nerd girl was just his rebound chick…and you never marry the rebound chick.

Soon, she was going to have her life back. All she had to do was let nature take its course…

The damage was done. The Miz was still champion, Randal was knocked out, and Dee was out of commission. On top of it all, Meg was still with them. Unconscious, yes, but she was with them and would hopefully understand why he had to do what he did. She was hysterical, almost manic over the fate of the girl who abandoned her and she needed to be calmed. She brought it upon herself, really. She would know this, of course, when she woke up.

Everything was going so well…until the boys of Nexus ran straight into the best friend of one Hunter Hearst Helmsley and met it head on. Husky Harris took the first blow, which hit him right in the side of the head and dropped him right to the ground. The sledgehammer then connected with Ortega's mouth, busting his mouth wide open before he hit the wall behind him. CM Punk scrambled to assemble his troops, but it was too late. The sneak attack from Triple H and his sledgehammer left his men in shambles around him and he was left holding the bag…or girl, if you wanted to be specific.

"Listen, Hunter-"

"SAVE IT!" He growled, backing Punk into the corner. "You took my heart, my chance to get into the Main Event at Wrestlemania, everything! Give me one good reason why I drive this hammer down your throat."

Punk slowly lowered Meg to the ground and raised his arms in mock surrender. "She came to me, alright?"

"LIAR!"

"Look, the truth is, it was never going to work between you two. There are things about her, things you would never understand. Things you could never accept-"

"What are you talking about?"

"…ter…" A meek voice from the ground broke the tension and caught Triple H.'s attention. "…Dee?"

He knelt down beside her, cradling her head like a small child. "It's going to be ok…I promise." He looked up at Punk. "She is coming with me. If you even LOOK in her general direction, I will show you what your insides look like. Understand?"

He didn't even wait for a response, opting instead to pick up the woman he loved and walked off down the hallway. Unbeknownst to him, CM Punk was grinning away like a Cheshire cat.

"This plot thickens…"


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 11 – Dream a Little Dream of Me…**

She could hear arguing after a series of painful sounding grunts and what seemed like hard blows to the head. It was like she was Penance, stuck inside a painful shell of her, only able to hear the outside world instead of contributing to it. Then she heard his voice and suddenly everything seemed to be perfect in the world again. She tried to tell him something, to ask about Dee, but she couldn't do anything but mumble and moan. It was like her body rejected her, which also seemed to clash with the warm and fuzzy feelings that spread through her after hearing his voice. Then, she could feel arms around her, picking her up and holding her so close that she could feel his heart pounding against the side of her chest. It had to all be a dream; it was all too good to be true. She attempted to open her eyes again, only to find the world dark and shadowy. It was all too much to handle, so she slipped away, back into the world of slumber.

The Diva's Championship match had gone on without her, resulting in a forfeiting of the title and was rewarded back to former champion, Eve, after a lengthy battle. Luckily for Eve, the Championship Title itself was carelessly left behind in the confusion and was able to be handed over to her in honor of her victory. Of course, Michael Cole, who complained the entire match that the Queen of Nexus was robbed of her chance to successfully defend her title, wanted Eve stripped of the title and a rematch as soon as her injuries allowed was in order. This came on the heels of him stating that the actions that left her with a face-full of blood were completely justified. Typical Michael Cole.

But none of this mattered at the moment to Meg. For the first time in three weeks she felt safe, calm. It was almost like coming home again. He carried her to his rental car, placing her gently inside while trying not to laugh at the almost fake sounding snores that escaped her. It was almost as if nothing had ever happened, but of course, her face told a completely different story. In the back of the car she looked so fragile and small, her face beginning to show the slightest signs of swelling. Her nose, thankfully, looked like it wasn't broke, but that didn't stop it from making her face look like she put her face in a plate full of ketchup. After a few texts to Dee, he sped off from the arena, refusing to even turn around and look back. At that moment, he didn't care if he ever wrestled again. Nexus had only begun to pay for what they put her through and until they suffered at his hands, nothing mattered.

"Hunter?" A meek voice popped up from the back seat as he pulled into the back entrance of the hotel he was staying at. "What's going on?"

"You are safe now, that's all that matters."

"Where's Brooks? And Dee? What happened to Dee?"

He didn't have the heart to tell her that he left her in the ring to have lord knows what happen to her. "I've already left her messages. You need to go lie down and rest."

She tapped her nose and winced in pain. "My face…that dick…."

"Yeah, you're going to be sore for a little while at least."

"My title!"

"Yeah…I don't think that's going to happen. Vince'll never let you fight like this." He noted the facial change at the mention of the Chairmen's name, but ignored it. "I think the guys left the belt at the announcers table."

She sighed. "Oh well…it's not like I deserve it right now anyway." She lifted the bottom of her Nexus t-shirt and used it to wipe away some of the blood from her face. It helped a little, but the pain she felt made her stop. "After everything I've done, they should have stripped me of the title. Even if it's not the same belt The Fabulous Moolah and Ivory had, I still wasn't worthy of it."

"Why would you think that?"

She didn't answer. In fact, she kept her mouth shut until they reached his room. Before he even had a chance to say something to her, she made her way into the bathroom and shut the door behind her. Her face was a mess. Besides the spots of blood she missed when cleaning herself off, her forehead was had a nice sized lump in the middle of it, on top of bruising underneath her eyes. She mumbled to herself as she soaked a rag and gently cleaned her face off. She wanted to be happy, despite the way her face looked. She wanted to act like everything was going to be alright now that she was back in his arms, but she knew it wasn't the truth. The truth was the very reason why this would never last. The truth was going to kill him and she couldn't put him through it. She loved him too much to do this.

A knock on the door brought her back to earth. "I'm ordering room service…want something?"

"A bucket of ice for my face!"

He laughed. "That's a given. Food? Drink?"

"Green tea and tuna fish sammich."

He laughed at how predictable she was and went back to the phone to place the order. She slipped out to root through his bag, grabbing out an over-sized Motorhead t-shirt and changed in the bathroom. As he finished up their order, she emerged from the bathroom, her face cleaned up, but still swollen and bruised from her face plant. This didn't stop him from finding her the most attractive woman on the planet. Her fiery-red hair fell past her shoulders and bounced with every step, her eyes shined behind the bruises. He wanted her, right then and there. He wanted to take her and make her his again, but the pain she had put him through was pushing through, reminding him of his sleepless nights, the heart that she broke. However, the fact that she was here, now, looking gorgeous in his favorite t-shirt and little else, it won over the feelings of mistrust and heartbreak. It was like his every wish was granted, as corny as that sounded. He couldn't put it into words how he felt, so he did what he did best…he let his actions say it for him. With a quick thrust, he was by her side, taking her into his arms and met her lips like nothing had ever happened. She melted in his arms, her fears of Punk and his leverage over her fading into the background. To the both of them, all that mattered was this moment, and everything that had transpired over the past three weeks meant absolutely nothing. It didn't exist, nothing did. A fire erupted between them, engulfing them in an inferno of passion.

Then, he saw the bruises. He could barely make out the tattoo she shared with Dee that was underneath of it, which only added fuel to his anger towards Punk.

"He did this to you, didn't he?"

She turned away, sheepishly. "I…I…it's nothing. Ignore it."

He grabbed her and pulled her closer to him, his arms surrounding her. "I won't ignore it. Don't stick up for him."

"Just drop it, ok. There's nothing we can do to change the past." He turned and faced him again, her arms locking around his neck. "I need you. I need us."

"Do you need me…or, is it comfort that you seek-" He cut himself off, sighing. "Fuck it. I don't think I care anymore…"

Their food grew cold as it sat outside. By morning, the smell of day-old tuna fish filled the hallway. Inside the room, the couple was at a stalemate.

"You don't understand…I can't stay here with you."

"Why not? You said you needed me last night…why is that so different today?"

"If I could tell you, don't you think I would have?" She pulled on her pants from last night, her gaze never leaving his. "Do you think I like keeping this from you? And if I really COULD tell someone about it, don't you think at the very least Dee would know?

He balled up his fists, his body shook. "What is so terrible that you couldn't tell the two most important people to you? Last night you were Meg again, you were the girl I love again. Now…now you are one of his lackeys. It's like I don't even know who you are anymore!"

"I'm the same girl you've always known…you have to believe me."

"Why should I believe you?" He fist connected with the wall next to him, leaving a large indent and Meg panicking as she backed her way into the door. "Why should anyone believe anything that comes out of your mouth? You used me last night!"

"Don't you play that card, PAUL," she snarled back, putting a good amount of emphasis on his name, "I didn't make you do anything. YOU took me away from them…I never asked you to. YOU brought me back here. YOU knew what you were doing this whole time. Maybe we used each other, I'll admit to that, but don't act like I made you do something you didn't want to do, like I'm some kind of whore. You should know me better than that."

"I think I did know you better than that. I really thought I did."

"You think this doesn't hurt me too? If I could tell you everything about my past, I would. I want to blab the truth to the world, I've wanted to for years. I hate being the deep, dark secret. I hate lying to everyone, especially about something like this. You need to believe me; nothing pains me more than this. You think I WANTED to join with Brooks? He's a goddamn psychopath! The rest of Nexus are a bunch of little boys in the bodies of monsters. I put up with all of their shit so that at the end of the day, I don't have to leave the career I've worked my whole life for. So that Dee can stay in this business. So you don't get tossed down to the bottom. Everything I am doing is for the good of us all."

"Do you think I care what happens to my career? I could care less, if it means you are safe and sound. I love you, Megan."

"Don't say that…it'll only hurt us both."

"But you know it's true."

"How do you know I'm not lying when I say it to you?"

"Because I can see the look in your eyes when you say it to me. How that extra little dimple in your right cheek pops up when you say it to me."

"It's all an act-"

"You aren't that good of an actress. Trust me."

"Then you can tell that I am not lying to you when I say I can't tell you," she pleaded, taking his hand only to have him pull away. "I am doing this for all of us. I wouldn't lower myself to the Nexus if I wasn't. Just…please trust me. And tell Dee…tell her, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I've put you both through all of this."

"Gratton…"

She locked her arms around his neck and kissed him one last time. "I love you….with everything inside me. But you don't want a girl like me. Move on, find someone special. Someone who isn't so…damaged."

With a little wave, she was gone, leaving The Game with nothing but a tear in his eye and the smell of day-old tuna fish. He quickly grabbed his cellphone and send a text out to Dee. "She's gone to us."


End file.
